Cut-off mechanism for tube machines



A ug. 11, 1931. L.. c. MALTBY 1,317,996

CUT-OFF MECHANISM FOR TUBE MACHINES I Filed May 21, 1930 Www-5 Patented Aug. 11, 1931 muren 'ras Lenses LEWIS C. MALTBY, OF WASHING-TON, DISTRCT OE COLUMBIA, ASSIGNOR TO STONE STRAW CORPORATION, OF WASHNGTON, DESTRICT OF COLUMBIA, A CORPORATION OF DELAWARE CUT-OFF BEECHANESM FOR TUBE M'ACHIES Application filed May 21,

This invention relates to cut-off mechanism for tube machines, and it comprises a rotary knlfe having orbital movement about an axis in a horizontal plane and, simultaneously, revolvable about a vertical axis, drive means for revolving the knife and its actuating mechanism about the vertical axis, gearing operated by said drive means, a circumferentially grooved, circular tube guide rotated by such gearing and intersecting the path of the knife, the tube guide being radially slotted to receive the blade of the knife at a predetermined point in its travel; all as will be described hereinafter and, as claimed.

In the manufacture of continuously formed paper tubes of small bore, and particularly those known as artificial straws, a cutting operation is accomplishedfwhile the tube is in motion, for the purpose of cutting it into convenient lengths. To prevent buckling of the moving tube as it is being cut it has been found desirable to cause the knife tov travel with it at the same time it cuts through, but since the knife in its travel approaches the tube in advance of the vertical plane where cutting commences, it has heretofore been impossibleto support the tube closely adjacent the point of cut.

A paper tube is subject to buckling by pressure of the knife against it unless it is adequately supported, inasmuch as it is hollow and, without some external supporting means, is readily deflected from its straight line of travel. Past practice has been to guide and support the tube in a hollow cylindrical member provided with a bell-shaped receiving mouth and formed in sections mounted at either side of the point of cut. Such a,

Vguide alone, however, has been found inadequate for the purpose not only because 1t mustloosely` fit the paper tube to prevent binding, but also because it cannot extend into close proximity'to the point of cut, it being of considerably greater diameter than the tube and, consequently, offering an obstruction in the'path of the knife if terminating Vimmediately adjacent the point of cut where it is most desired. The paper tube thus lacking immediate support is liable to be buckled or otherwise mutilated by the cutting knife.

1930. Serial No. 454,366.

Moreover, in the formation of paper tubes a certain amount of adhesive is squeezed out of the seam during the forming operation and is subsequently wiped off by the tubular guide in the passage of the continuously formed tube therethrough. Such accumulation of adhesive in the bore of the guide soon restricts its diameter to a point where the tube will not feed through it, whereupon the machine must be stopped and the accumulated adhesive removed.

Inasmuch as the guide is made in sections mounted at each side of the path of the knife it must not be of too large bore, for in that case the tube approaching for cutting will be deiiected by the vknife so far from its straight line of travel that it will not feed into the final section of the guide.

It is an object of my invention to adequately support a paper tube during a cutting operation by engaging it with a guide on both sides of the line of cut and immediately adjacent thereto.

Another object is to provide a guide for paper tubes in cutting which supports a tube at points immediately adjacent the line of cut and serves tofeed the tube past the knife.

A still further object is to provide an improved driving means for a vrotary knife by imparting movement to it about a horizontal axis parallel with the axis upon which it rotates and, simultaneously, about a vertical axis, such driving means being accomplished through the medium of gearing which is replaceable in the event of wear or breakage without necessitating replacement of other parts of the mechanism.

4 Other and further objects will be apparent from the following description and drawings, in which Figure 1 is a vertical sectional view of the cutter and guide which comprise this invention;

Figure 2 is a top plan view, partly in sec` tion, of the cutter with the cover removed;

Figure 3 is a fragmentary view, in vertical section, taken along the line 3 3 of Figure 1.

Referring more particularly to the drawings:

A fixed housing l() having a removable cover 1l Vis provided with a downwardly extending boss 12 which is flanged for the reception of screws or bolts to fasten it to the bed of a machine (not shown), and which serves as a bearing for a. vertical shaft 13. The upper end of the shaft 13 is of reduced diameter to form a shoulder for supporting a rotatable turret 14 which comprises a base 15 and an upstanding annular wall 16, spaced from the fixed housing. Y

The annular wall of the turret has spaced circumferential flanges extending outwardly adjacent its upper edge, and its interior is formed with integral ribs 17 upon which are seated bearing plates 18 and 19, held in position by screws 20, 21, 22 and 23 tapped into the ribs. As a further support for the plates the interior of the wall may be machined to lform an annular shoulder.

Another protuberance 24 is cast integrally with the wall 16 and is journalled to receive a vertical shaft 25 having a pinion 26 at its lower end in mesh with an internally toothed gear 27 which is removably mounted in the fixed housing 10, as by screws 23. A bevel gear 29 is mounted on the upper end of shaft 25 and meshes with a bevel'gear 30 on shaft 33 which has bearing in the plates 1S and 19. A bracket 3l, fastened to the plate has an upstanding portion to which a gear wheel 32 is fixed in any desired manner. rl`he shaft 33 passes loosely through the gear 32 and has a lever in the form of a disk 34 keyed or otherwise aflixed to it.

A stub shaft 35 is eccentrically carried by the disk 34 and mounts a circular knife 36 which is attached to a pinion 37 and which is rotated by the pinion in mesh with the fixed gear 32 when the shaft and disk 34 are rotated. i

Thus, power applied to the drive shaftI 13 not only rotates the turretrto carry the knife about the vertical axis of the turret, but through the rotation of shafts 25 ant 33 the knife is caused to rotate on its axis, being fast to the pinion 37 which travels around the fixed gear 32, and at the same time it revolves about the shaft 33.

The wall 16 of the turret is slotted at diametrically opposite points, as in Figure 1 of the drawing, for the free passage of the knife into cutting engagement with a paper tube which is l guided by the circumferential flanges 38 in the wheel guide 39d, such flanges being radially slotted at 40 and received within the flanges of the turret wall.

The guide 39 is adjustably mounted on shaft 41 which has bearing in a housing 42, preferably so formed thata depending skirt portion 43 covers the drive gear 44 on the The housing 42 is cast with integral ears 48 which receive headed screws 49 for fastening the same to the projections 50 from fixed housing 10. An upwardly extending projection 5l from one of the extensions 50 carries a tubular guide 52 which has a bell-shaped receiving mouth 53, this guide serving to receive a continuously formed tube and to direct it into the space between the circumferential flanges of the wheel guide where it is adequately supported within the confines of the flanges on the turret and the interlitting flanges on the wheel guide immediately adj acent the point at which the knife makes the cut. Y

From the foregoing` it will be apparent that I have provided a cutter in which a paper tube is adequately supported at points immediately adjacent the point of cut to thereby prevent possible mutilation of the tube in cutting, and that l have provided, further, a cut-ter which is efficient in operation but inexpensive to repair for the reason that the gearing is readily replaceable when worn or broken. i

lll/'h at I claim as my invention is:

1. Cut-olf mechanism for tube machines comprising in combination, drive gearing, a rotary knife actuated by said gearing and adapted to be periodically projected outwardly into the path of a tube to be cut thereby, a rotatable circular guide, the periphery of which is grooved for the reception of a tube to be cut, said guide being radially slotted through said peripheral groove topermit passage of the knife therethrough at periodic intervals in its actuation, and gearing for simultaneously actuating said rotary guide and knife. Y

2. In combination with a fixed housing, a rotatable disc cutter mounted therein, gearing for imparting to sait disc cutter rotary motion about a vertical axis and simultaneous planetary movement about a horizontal axis,

a rotatable circular guide projecting into the path of said cutter, the perimeter of said guide being grooved for the reception of a tube to be cut, the guide being radially slotted through said peripheral groove to permit passage of the knife therethrough, and gearing for simultaneously driving said cutter and guide.

3. A cut-off mechanism for tubes comprising a rotatable turret, a shaft for driving said turret, a'ixed internally toothed gear coaxial with said drive shaft, a'shaft carried by said turret and provided with a gear in mesh with said internally toothed gear, a second shaft carried by said turret at an angle to said first shaft, and geared thereto, a fixed gear freely receiving said second shaft, a lever fast on said second shaft, a rotary knife carried by said lever, a pinion fast to said knife and in mesh with said fixed gear, the said turret being slotted for passage of the knife therebeyond in its travel, and tube guiding means adjacent the turret and adapted to project a tube into the path of the knife.

4. A cut-off mechanism for tubes comprising a housing, a turret rotatable in said housing, an internally toothed ring detachably carried in said housing, a shaft carried by said turret and having a pinion at one end in mesh With the teeth of said ring thereby to rotate the shaft during rotation of the turret, a second shaft carried by said turret at an angle to said first shaft and geared thereto, a fixed gear freely receiving said second shaft, a lever rotated bysaid second shaft, a stub shaft carried by said lever, a rotary knife and pinion freely rotatable on said stub shaft, the pinion being in mesh with said fixed gear to be rotated upon movement of said lever yand thereby to rotate the knife simultaneously With its revolution about said second shaft, and a circular rotatable guide for conducting a tube into the path of said knife.

5. A cut-off mechanism for tubes comprising a housing, a turret rotatable in said housing, an internally toothed ring detachably mounted in said housing, a shaft carried by said turret and having a pinion at one end in mesh with the teeth of said ring thereby to rotate the shaft during rotation of the turret, a second shaft carried by said turret at an angle to said first shaft and geared thereto, a fixed gear freely receiving said second shaft, a lever carried by said second shaft, a stub shaft on said lever, a rotary knife and pinion freely rotatable on said stub shaft, the pinion being in mesh With said fixed gear to be rotated upon movement of said lever, thereby to rotate the knife simultaneously With its revolution about said second shaft, an externally toothed gear detachably mounted on said turret, a rotatable, circular guide, projecting into the path of said knife .and radially slotted to permit the knife to pass therethrough, a shaft upon one end of Which said guide is mounted, and a gear on the other end of said shaft in mesh with the detachable gear on said turret.

6. A cut-ofil mechanism for tubes comprising a fixed housing, a cup-shaped turret Within said housing, a drive shaft extending into the housing for rotating the turret, .an internally toothed ring detachably mounted in said housing, a shaft carried by said turret and having a pinion at one end in mesh With the internal teeth of said ring, thereby to rotate the shaft during rotation of the turret, a second shaft carried by the turret yat an angle to said first shaft and geared thereto, a fixed gear freely receiving said second shaft, a lever carried by said second shaft, a stub shaft carried by said lever, a rotary knife and pinion freely rotatable on said stub shaft, the pinion being in mesh With said xed gear to be rotated upon movement of said lever thereby to rotate the knife simultaneously With its revolution about said second shaft, an externally toothed gear detachably mounted on said turret, a rotatable circular guide, spaced circumferential flanges extending outwardly from the perimeter of said guide for receiving a tube to be cut, the guide being radially slotted through said fianges to permit passage of the knife therethrough, a shaft upon which said guide is mounted, and a gear also on said shaft in mesh with the detachable gear on said turret for rotating the guide.

7 A cut-off mechanism for tubes comprising a fixed housing, a cup-shaped turret Within said housing, spaced circumferential ianges on said turret, a drive shaft extending into the housing for rotating the turret, an internally toothed gear detachably mounted in said housing, a shaft carried by said turret and having a pinion at one end in mesh With the internal teeth of said ring thereby to rotate the shaft during rotation of the turret, a second shaft carried by the turret at an angle to said first shaft and geared thereto, a fixed gear freely receiving said second shaft, a lever carried by said second shaft, a rotary knife and pinion carried by said lever, the pinion being in mesh With said fixed gear to be rotated upon movement of said lever thereby to rotate the knife simultaneously with its revolution about said second shaft, an externally toothed gear detachably mounted on said turret, a rotatable crcular guide, spaced circumferential flanges on said guide to be received Within the spaced flanges of the turret and adapted to receive a tube to be cut, the guide and turret being radially slotted through such flanges to ermit the passage of the knife therethroug a shaft upon Which said guide is mounted and a gear also on said shaft in mesh With the detachable gear on said turret for rotating 

